Political Quotes

“each day I have detailed in the Senate Record another hate crime. Again, these are always violent, they are always sickening, but they always happen to an American citizen. These citizens are not different from you and me. They are Americans. They may be black, they may be gay, they may be disabled, female or of Middle Eastern descent, and yet they are all Americans. We are all, in that important aspect, the same. I will detail a heinous crime that occurred in the State of Oregon in 1995. I have spoken about this horrible crime before in this Chamber. A 27-year-old Stockton, CA, man murdered a Medford, OR, couple: Roxanne Ellis, 53, and Michelle Abdill, 42. The women, who ran a property management business together, disappeared on December 4, 1995, after showing a man an apartment for rent. He shot them both in the head. The bodies were left bound and gagged in the truck bed. The Stockton man later confessed, saying he had targeted the women because they were lesbians, and he figured they would not have families that would miss them. I believe the government's first duty is to defend its citizens, to defend them against the harm that comes out of hate. The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2001 is now a symbol that can become substantive. I believe that by passing this legislation we can change hearts and we can change minds.”